The Population Aging Map of Japan(1994)

ＴｈｅＰｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎＡｇｉｎｇＭａｐｏｆＪａｐａｎ（１９９４）The　Population　Aging　Map　of　Japan(1994...     

The Population Aging Map of China(199)

ＴｈｅＰｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎＡｇｉｎｇＭａｐｏｆＣｈｉｎａ（１９９）ＴｈｅｄｉｆｆｅｒｅｎｔｉａｌｓｏｆａｇｉｎｇｂｅｔｗｅｅｎＣｈｉｎａ＇ｓａｎｄＪａｐａｎａｒｅｓｈｏｗｎｉｎｔｈｅｍａｐｓ．Ｔｈｅａｇｉｎｇｐｒｏｃｅｓｓｈａｓｂｅｅｎｓｐｅｅｄｅｄ...     

The effect of Soranus of Ephesus (98–138) on the work of midwives

BackgroundIn the Roman period, midwives continued to play an important role in female health care primarily in the attendance of women birth. In the second century AD, midwives’ education received a significant boost thanks to the distinguished physician Soranus of Ephesus.AimTo reveal the work and important contribution of Soranus of Ephesus in the practice of midwifery.MethodsThe main bibliographic sources concerning Soranus’ work on midwifery have been investigated and analysed.FindingsIn his work, Soranus described the main characteristics and skills of a midwife. In the practice of obstetrics, he performed the manoeuvre which was later called “turning the foot” and introduced the birth chair. His contribution in neonatology is also of a great importance as he provided the earliest newborn assessment.ConclusionSoranus’ work contributed in the education of midwives and influenced the practice of obstetrics till the Middle Ages.     

Income and Spending of Urban Households in China (first quarter of 2001)

Region No. of households surveyed Average No. of people per household Average No. of workers per household Per capita income * Per capita disposable income * Per capita spending * National 43,740 3.1 1.7 618.8 615.3 445.8 North China Beijing 1,000 3.0 1.8 1,004.5 1,000.2 708.2 Tianjin 500 3.1 1.6 762.9 760.3 562.9 Hebei 2,160 3.1 1.7 518.6 514.8 362.2 Shanxi 1,570 3.1 1.6 441.0 439.3 352.5 Inner Mongolia 2,300 3.1 1.6 457.4 456.5 353.8 Northeast China Liaoning 3,250 3.1 1.7 …     

(Home-)Schools of Democracy? On the Intergenerational Transmission of Civic Engagement

Where do individuals learn civic engagement? While voluntary associations are often seen as the breeding grounds for democratic skills and virtues, many preferences are learned by children in their family and thus passed on between generations. The present paper uses data from the British Household Panel Survey (1991–2008) for the UK to analyze the intergenerational transmission of civic engagement and political participation preferences. It finds that both voluntary associational count variables as well as frequency and strength measures of doing volunteer work and political party support are correlated between parents and their grown up children (i.e. after leaving the parental household), even when controlling for resources like socio-economic background. The intergenerational transmission is more pronounced with regard to triggering filial civic engagement, but frequency of parental engagement is less strongly transmitted. A robustness analysis suggests that peer influences (as measured by regional levels of civic engagement) do not drive the intergenerational transmission of civic engagement.

     

Opinions of the State Council about Solving the Problems of Peasant Workers (Abstract)

On March 27th, 2006, the Opinions of the State Council about Solving the Problems of Peasant Workers were formally released. The document proposed several policies     

Methods for Administration of Family Planning Technical Services(Full text)

[The State Council, the highest executive body in China, issued Methods for Administration of Family Planning Technical Services, a legally binding document that will go into effect from October 1, 2001. This comprehensive document provides wide-ranging safeguards for citizens?rights to reproductive health, such as the right to informed choice and the right to obtaining appropriate family planning technical services. In addition, it also metes out penalties for administrative bodies and pu…     

Program for the Development of Chinese Women (2001-2010)

(Continued from last issue) C. Education of Women Major Objectives l Ensure the right of girls to nine-year compulsory education; increase the net enrolment rate of school-age girls to primary school up to around 99%, the retention rate of girls in five-year primary education up to about 95%, basically putting an end to it that school-age girls are without access to primary education; increase the gross enrolment rate of girls to junior high school to around 95%. l Work to ensure that the…     

Program for the Development of Chinese Women(2001-2010)

Editor抯 note: Based on the Program for Development of Chinese Women during the Ninth Five-Year Plan (1996-2000) and foreign practices, the Chinese government has drawn up a Program for the Development of Chinese Women in the coming decade (2001-2010). The Program has identified six priority areas for women抯 development after taking into account the 12 key areas set by the Program of Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women. The following is an excerpt of the Program. General…     

Scrambled systems: the (im)mobilities of ‘storm Desmond’

This article examines a 3-day blackout, triggered by a ‘1-in-100-year’ rainfall event. Storms and floods account for almost three-quarters of weather-related disasters, and are typically accompanied by cascading infrastructure failures, which pattern and amplify their effects in highly significant ways. Such disruptions reveal aspects of everyday life that ordinarily remain obscure, including capacities for resilience embodied in people, cities and infrastructure. The article proposes that disruption events be understood in terms of ‘scrambles’, as they involve abrupt demobilisation and remobilisation of a range of people and materials. The article firstly examines the astonishing capacity for failure latent in ‘pervasively powered’ arrangements, as well as the many ways in which people and things were ‘scrambled’ in response. The article then proceeds to explore the ways in which vulnerabilities result in part from mobilisation in response to previous disruption events, before examining the ‘circuits’ that link far-flung places in mobile disaster geographies, global patterns of electricity dependence, the rise of data overload in the ‘cloud’ to carbon overload in the atmosphere. The article concludes by presenting further evidence in support of the thesis that disruptions and disasters are part of a ‘new normal’, and what this means for prevailing sociotechnical arrangements reliant on ‘sunk’ infrastructure.     

Quality of College Life (QCL) of Students in Turkey: Students’ Life Satisfaction and Identification

Understanding the complexities of a students’ quality of life has become essential in order for universities to plan their spending most efficiently. This study tests a model which was used to judge the satisfaction of college life and evaluates the overall impact of quality of college life (social, academic, and service satisfaction), life satisfaction, and identification. Secondly, the study assesses the impact of a university’s academic program, social life, facilities, and services on the students’ college life quality in this sample in relation to similar studies from Turkey and other countries. The survey included 1,260 students attending a public university in northwestern Turkey. Measurement tools included the quality of college life scale (QCL), Satisfaction with college life scale, identification scale satisfaction with life scale and personal information form. The results show social satisfaction has the strongest positive impact on QCL. This study found that life satisfaction and university identification had a positive impact on a university student’s satisfaction with college life. According to survey results it is also suggested that University administrators can primarily focus on improving the social satisfaction of the students then improve facilities and services, in order to raise academic satisfaction levels.     

Changes of Major Population and Family Planning Indicators(1996-2000)

1. Implementation of Population Plans (1996-2000) China had succeeded in bringing its population under control during the Ninth Five-Year Plan (1996-2000), in terms of the annual number of newborns in 2000 and the total population of the nation, as well as the annual growth rate, according to estimates by the China Family Planning Commission (SFPC). During this period, both the birth rate and natural increase rate reduced steadily and the momentum of population growth was bro…     

A History of Threat in Europe and Belgium (1920–1993)

A general index of social, economic, and political threat in Europe and Belgium was developed for the years 1920 to 1993. We asked 91 Belgian historians, experts in contemporary history, to rate, on 7-point intensity scales, the extent to which each year, between 1920 to 1993, the security and existence of either Europe or Belgium was threatened. In making their judgments, the historians must integrate most of the information contained in objective data known to them as causes of fear (crime, unemployment, apprehension at starting a family, buying a car, or starting a new business, etc.). The present threat index rests on a synthetic judgment because many official objective data available to historians either are incomplete or lack conceptual coherence. The index obtained has then been compared to known objective indicators of social, economic, or political threat. We obtained Cronbach's coefficients of 0.99 for Belgian historians. Corrected for serial dependency, the threat index for Belgium is found to depend on a 5-variable subset composed of: suicide, unemployment, and balance of trade, for the positive associations; and GNP and car registrations, for the negative associations. The Pearson correlation between the threat index for Europe and Belgium is 0.95 (N = 74, p < 0.001). Just as McCann and Stewin (1990) had developed a similar tool for North America, the aim of this multi-purpose tool was to monitor the mood of Europe and Belgium over time based on evaluations made by professional historians. McCann and Stewin's (1990) threat index for the US has a Pearson correlation of 0.65 (N = 67, p < 0.001) with the European threat index. The article concludes with a discussion first on the question of the role of threat producing discourses in the perception of threat, and second, on the question of Europe as a concept.     

The Potential of Direct Democracy: A Global Measure (1900–2014)

To what extent is direct democracy achieved in current polities? To answer this question, I develop an index, Direct Democracy Practice Potential, which is applied to 200 polities worldwide. This index results from the aggregation of the scores of four types of mechanisms of direct democracy: popular initiatives, popular referendums, obligatory referendums, and authorities’ plebiscites. This index measures: (1) how easy it is to initiate and approve each type of popular vote, and (2) how consequential that vote is (if approved). Ease of initiation is measured by: (a) the existence of a direct democracy process, (b) the number of signatures needed, and (c) time limits to collect signatures. Ease of approval is measured by quorums pertaining to: (a) participation, (b) approval, (c) supermajority, and (d) district majority. Regarding how consequential the vote is, it considers its decisiveness (whether the decision is binding), and the threat capability of citizen-initiated mechanisms of direct democracy as measured by the frequency with which direct popular votes have been used and approved in the past. Finally, the study tests the validity of the new measure, discussing its strengths and limitations.     

“Who's afraid?”: Attitudes of midwives to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for delivery of pregnancy-related health information

BackgroundUsage rates for information and communication technologies (ICTs) in healthcare have been increasing in recent years, but often lag behind general usage rates for populations as a whole. Research into such differential rates of ICT use across different segments of the population has identified a number of possible causal factors that limit usage.AimThe research investigated midwives’ attitudes and experiences of ICT use to identify potential causal factors that encourage or inhibit their usage in antenatal care.MethodsSemi-structured interviews, focus groups and short surveys were conducted with midwives who provide antenatal education at an Australian metropolitan hospital. Thematic and statistical analyses were used to interpret the data.FindingsAlthough midwives recognised the potential benefits of using ICTs to deliver pregnancy-related health information many had reservations about their use in everyday work. These reservations centred on lack of training in use of ICTs, the perceived legal risks associated with social media, potential violations of patient privacy, misdiagnosis and misunderstandings between midwife and client.ConclusionMidwives face a number of barriers to effective use of ICTs in healthcare including material access, skills access, usage access and motivational access. Motivational access appears to be a key concern due to the high perception of risk associated with social media in particular. Reducing the motivational barriers through a range of interventions with midwifery staff may assist in overcoming other barriers to ICT use in antenatal care. Further research is required to determine whether these findings are generalisable to other healthcare contexts.     

访美札记(二则)

<正> 逆城市化的人口流动当太阳刚刚从天边升起的时候,一辆辆颜色和形状各异的轿车,从寂静的城郊向繁嚣的市区奔弛;在夜色将临的时候,同一个轿车群又从市区向城郊流动,这是我们在华盛顿、纽约和洛杉矶都看到过的一种现象。车里是家住城郊而工作在城市的人们。有些居住点和工作岗位距离相当远,即使八十麦的车速也要跑上一、两个小时。在纽约华尔街附近的东河,还有一个水上飞机基地,是供住在郊区的富翁们上下班用的。     

Happily (n)ever after: the cruel optimism of Disney’s romantic ideal

Drawing on Ahmed’s articulation of the performativity of affect, we analyze how Disney love, as it is constructed in Disney Princess films, acts pedagogically as a “happy object” that orients the happiness of women toward the acquisition of love. We assert that the happiness we derive from loving Disney is a form of what Berlant calls “cruel optimism,” in which we become attached to fantasies of happiness and fulfillment that are unsustainable and detrimental. The cruel optimism we learn from Disney Princess films manifests as an incitement to pursue an impossible ideal of romantic love, or what Heise calls a bridal fiction, that reinforces the supremacy of a white heteropatriarchal family ideal and keeps us attached to “compromised conditions of possibility” that limit female agency and impede social progress.     

Statistical Communiqué of the People’s Republic of China on the 2014 National Economic and Social Development(Excerpt)

February 26,2015General Outlook By the end of 2014,the total number of Chinese population at the mainland reached 1 367.82million,an increase of 7.10 million over that at the end of 2013.Of this total,urban permanent residents numbered 749.16million,accounting for 54.77 percent.The year 2014 saw 16.87 million births,a crude birth rate of 12.37 per thousand,and9.77 million deaths,or a crude death rate     

晨子(小小说)

我从特殊教育师范学校毕业一年了,母校老师和同学们的音容笑貌,母校的一草一木,时时地浮现在我的眼前。然而,不属于母校的晨子却也让我梦萦魂绕,久久不能忘怀。 记得我报到的时候,刚列校门,便看见一个蓬头垢面,身穿脏兮兮的蓝制服,挽着裤腿,一双挂满眵目糊的红眼睛,呆滞地看着行人的大男孩。他口角歪斜,不时地流着口水,看着出出进进的女同学不停地叫着:“大姨、二姨”,并趔趔趄趄地向身上扑去,吓得女同学喊叫着拼伞逃避。门卫老头见状便立即出来大声呵斥:“晨子,还不回去,再不走打死你!”并做出追赶的架势。这时的晨子蹦跳着(实际是一瘸一拐)跑出十几步又站下了,眼睛仍然     

Soon, later, or ever? The impact of anomie and social capital on fertility intentions in Bulgaria (2002) and Hungary (2001)

We use survey data from Bulgaria and Hungary to investigate the determinants of whether women intend to have a first or a second child and, if so, whether they intend to have the child within the ensuing 2 years or later. These determinants differ significantly by the order and timing of the intended birth. The variables used include measures of anomie and social capital and these appear to be among the factors that determine both whether to have a child and when. There is some evidence that these measures and economic factors are relatively more important in Bulgaria than in Hungary, and that ideational factors are more important in Hungary, particularly in the case of voluntary childlessness.